Fluid-tight valve closure



March 27, 1934. c, CRUZE 5 AL 1,952,586

FLUID TIGHT VALVE CLOSURE Filed 001;. 20, 1932 Patented Mar. 27, 1934 PATENT or'rlca FLUID-TIGHT VALVE CLOSURE- Frederick 0. Crane and John K. Haley,

Knoxville, Tenn.

Application October 20, 1932, Serial No. 838,726

I 6' Claims.

This invention relates to fiuidtight valve closures.

One object of the invention is toprovide a device of the character described having improved means for obtaining a fiuidtight closure and which is especially applicable to collapsible tubes- In devices of this character it is desirable that the same shall be so constructed that none of the parts can be removed and lost; that the same shall be easily and quickly opened and closed; that the device shall be fully sanitary and not produce a spread or smear of the tube contents; that the valve closure shall be substantially or entirely fiuidtight so as to prevent any egress of the tube contents when the same is under accidental pressure, and also to prevent evaporation and drying out of the tube contents; and that the device shall I be small, compact'and neat in appearance.

to provide a device of the nature set forth which shall fulfill all desired requirements and avoid all the defects and disadvantages mentioned.

Another object is to furnish a device of the type mentioned having few and simple parts, and which can be inexpensively made by mass production, and which is reliable, durable and efiicient in use, easy to assemble, and which will permit the collapsible tube to be constructed according to any well known methods and in compliance with standard requirements.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the specification proceeds. 4

With the aforesaid objects in vew, the invention consists in the novel combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described in their preferred embodiments, pointed out in the subjoined claims, and illustrated on the annexed drawing, wherein like parts are designated by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

, In the-drawing: .Figure 1 is a somewhat enlarged fragmentary view in vertical section showing in closed position a device embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar view thereof in open position. I

Fig. 3 is a horizontal transverse sectional view taken on the broken line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a view in side elevation of the plunger element.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

The advantages of the invention as here outlined are best realized when all of its features and instrumentalities are combined in one and the same structure, but; usefuldevices may be produced embodying less than the whole.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains, that the same may be incorporated in several different constructions. The accompanying drawing, therefore, is submitted merely as showing the preferred exemplification of the invention.

' Referring in detail to the drawing, 10 denotes a device embodying the invention. While the principles of the invention are of general application, and can be utilized for many different purposes, certain advantages thereof are of particularimportance in connection'with collapsible dispensing tubes. Hence we show a conventional collapsible tube 11 made of any suitable material such as a soft metal, and having a breast portion 12 and a neckor tubular member 13 which may be integrally or otherwise connected thereto. The 'neck 13 may be open at its upper end 14, and its upper portion 15 may be externally undercut to provide an annular shoulder 16 coaxial with the neck. Said shoulder may have a suitable annular seating surface extending generally at an angle to the axis of the neck, and this seating surface may be, for example, of a wedging type, and hence is shown as being in the nature of a groove 17. The neck 13 may have on its internal lower portion a longitudinal groove or recess 18 which is closed at its upper end and which communicates at its lower end with a shoulder or end portion of the neck, along which a cam 19 may be provided. The latter may be in the nature of a downward facing shoulder whose working or cam face lies along a plane at a small angle to the axis of the closure so that the higher portion of-said plane is at the groove 18.

Slidingly fitted upon the upper undercut portion 15 of the neck 13, a closure or valve member suchas a cap 20 may be provided, which is adapted for rotary and axial movement along the neck. Said cap may be made of any suitable material such as 'metal, bakelite and the like. Its cylindrical side wall 21 may have an annular seating means, such as a wedge 22 which is adapted for valve closure engagement with the groove 17. It will be noted that the actual seating surface at 1'7, 22 is spaced slightly outwardly from the surface 23a along which the cap is slidable, and that the closure may be maintained even though the cap 20 be rotated on the neck. Desirably the neck 13 is formed with a suitable outlet opening 23 in the undercut portion 15 thereof, this opening being preferably spaced above the seat 17, and arranged ture of a slide or piston type valve therewith.

Axially engaged with the cap 20 is a member or valve element such as a plunger 24 which may be slidingly fitted within the neck 13 for rotary or axial movement therein, or both. Preferably said plunger may be rigidly secured in the cap, as by a projection 24a which may be externally knurled as at 25 and press fitted or cemented into a recess 26 in the upper portion of the cap. Said plunger may be made of any suitable material such as metal, bakelite and the like, and is annularly spaced from the side wall 21 ofthe cap. It may be hollow at 27 to provide a central passage open at its lower end and communicating with an outlet opening 28 in the wall 29 of the plunger. The opening 28 may in certain positions of the plunger move into and out of register with the opening'23, the plunger and the neck thus cooperating in the manner of a .piston or slide valve along the surface 30. At its lower end, the plunger- 23 may have a projection or follower 31 which extends laterally into the groove 18 and is movable therealong and out of the same into engagement with the cam 19.

The manner of operating the device will now be described. Taking the device in the locked position shown in Fig. 1, the cap 20, and hence the plunger 24, is rotated to cause the follower to move upward along the cam 19 and into register with the groove 18. Then the tube 11 may be collapsed causing the contents thereof to actuate the plunger 24 and hence also the cap in an upward axial direction. The openings 23 and 28 are thus brought into register and the wall 21 of the cap opens the opening 23 so that a portion of the tube contents can be ejected. Beyond this position the cap and plunger cannot be moved, since the follower 31 is stopped at the upper closed end of the groove 18, and rotation of the parts is thus also prevented, so that the openings 23 and 28 must be in alinement. To close the tube 11, the

cap- 20 is moved downwardly-and then-rotated,-

the plunger 24 being correspondingly moved so that the follower 31 leaves the groove 18 and engages the cam 19. This results in that the cap and plunger unit is drawn strongly axially downward, assuring a tight engagement at the valve seat 1'7. The interlock at 19, 31 prevents accidental opening of the closure, as in shipping the collapsible tubes, and assures airtightness. In ordinary use of the device, however, the axial movement alone may be availed of.

By this invention, ordinary cast or molded parts can be used with little or no finishing, anda fiuid tight joint nevertheless obtained.

It will be perceived that the device includes a multi-type slide valve, including valve surfaces at 23a and 30, and that the engagement at these valves is supplemented by a surrounding valve engagement at 17, 22, the latter being adapted to have any desired degree of tightness, while the former possess a predetermined snugness or clearance depending upon construction and manufacture. The combination of these diiferent valve means assures a fluid tight closure.

In manufacturing the device, the tube 11 and its neck are separately made with the lower end of the tube being open. Then the plunger 24 is inserted through the open end into the neck, and the cap 20 aifixed to the plunger. Finally, the tube being charged, the lower end thereof may be closed in a conventional manner.

It will be appreciated that the invention may so as to be opened and closed by the wall 21 of the cap, thereby constitutingwhat is in the nabe constructed in different ways, and that the different parts of the valve closure 22 and 17 may be arranged on different elements'of the device, and the same being likewise true of the parts 18,

'19 and 31.

It will be appreciated that variouschanges and modifications may be made in the device as shown in the drawing, and that the same is submitted in an illustrative and not in a limiting sense, the scope of the invention being defined in the following claims.

We claim:

1. A device including a tubular element, closure means therefor, said tubular element having an external annular shoulder, said closure means being axially slidable up and down on the tubular element and having an annular seat for engagement with said annular shoulder in the down position of the closure means, said closure means including an axial plunger extending downwardly beyond said annular seat and being fitted for reciprocation in the tubular element, said plunger and said tubular element having openings adapted to aline with each other in the up position of the closure means and being exposed by the latter beneath the annular seat thereof.

2. A closure for collapsible tubes including an open ended neck having its end portion externally undercut to provide a shoulder, said shoulder having an annular groove, the undercut portion having a discharge opening for the neck, a cap slidably fitted on said undercut portion for axial and rotary movement thereon and having the lower edge of its side wall provided with an annular wedge for seating engagement with said groove, a plunger fitted in said neck and axially secured at its upper end to said cap, said neck having a cam at its lower end, said plunger having a follower movable along the cam by rotation of the plunger and cap for moving said wedge into snug engagement with said groove, said neck having an internal longitudinal recess communicating at its lower end with said cam and closed at its .upper end, said follower being movable out of engagement with said cam and along said re cess upon axiallymoving the cap and plunger outwardly, said follower having stop coaction with the closed end of the recess to limit said movement of the cap and plunger, and the plunger having an opening movable respectively into and out of register with the opening in the neck according as the plunger is rotated and moved outwardly or in opposite direction.

3. A fiuidtight valve closure for collapsible tubes, including a rigid tubular member, said member being undercut-to provide an external annular shoulder and a guide portion of reduced diameter extending to,the free end of the tubular member, a cap member slidingly mounted on said guide portion for axial and angular movement and having a rim adapted for annular seating engagement with said shoulder, said guide portion having an opening above the shoulder portion, said opening being controlled by the cap member, said shoulder and rim having annular mating wedge and groove seating engagement with each other to form a tight closure supplementing the closure at said opening, a

tubes, including a rigid tubular member, said member being undercut to provide an external annular shoulder and a guide portion of reduced diameter extending to the free end of the tubular member, a cap member slidingly mounted on said guide portion for axial and angular movement and having a rim adapted for annular seating engagement with said shoulder, said guide portion having an opening above the shoulder portion, said opening being controlled by the cap member, said shoulder and rim having annular mating wedge and groove seating engagement with each other to form a tight closure supplementing the closure at said opening, a plunger slidably fitted in the tubular member and connected to the cap member to move therewith and control said opening, means for causing the cap member to move along said guide portion toward said shoulder, and other means to cause a snug fitting closure action, at the wedge and groove seats.

5. A closure for collapsible tubes including a tubular member, said member having an opening through the lateral wall thereof, a plunger reciprocable in the tubular memberfor controlling said opening, said tubular member having an internal cam at the lower end thereof, said cam having along the cam. said tubular member having a groove disposed longitudinally thereof and extending to the working face of the cam, said follower being movable from the cam into the groove for reciprocation of the plunger, and

said plunger having an annular closure member for stop coaction with the tubular member when the plunger is actuated by the cam.

6. A closure for collapsible tubes including a tubular member, said member having an opening through the lateral wall thereof, an element longitudinally reciprocable in the member, means movable with said element for controlling said opening, a collapsible tube body connected to the lower end of the member, the latter terminating in a shoulder at the lower end thereof inward cf the tube body, said shoulder having a downward facing cam surface extending therealong, said member having a recess disposed along the internal surface of the tubular member and extending to the working face of the cam, and a cap connected to said element and having a portion adapted for abutment with the member to limit downward movement of the former, said element having a follower movable along said recess upon reciprocation of the element, and along the cam for drawing the element downward for abutment action of the said portion.

FREDERICK C. CRUZE.

JOHN K. HALEY. 

